Highlighting Homemade Ricotta

Fabulous fresh ricotta cheese is easy to make at home, and once you’ve gone to the trouble, you’ll want to use it in ways that highlight its flavor and texture.

Homemade ricotta is “amazing spread on grilled rustic bread onto which you scatter toasted pecans and drizzle with chestnut honey and fresh green olive oil,” says chefathome. “It’s also great mixed with an excellent olive oil and just served as a condiment.”

“Top with roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh pesto, it’s food of the gods!” raves biondanonima. “It also makes a very nice pasta sauce if you toss it with hot pasta and enough pasta cooking water to thin it a bit, plus whatever other ingredients you like to flavor it.” BernalKC sautés a pound of spinach with salt and plenty of garlic, drains the excess liquid, and mixes the spinach with a pound of freshly cooked penne or fusilli, some olive oil, 8 ounces ricotta, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.

These gnudi, pillowy ricotta dumplings, are hotoynoodle‘s pick for using great ricotta. “I’ve made them a few times and wow are they good. I have also folded in extremely well-drained chopped spinach and those look more appealing on the plate.” Pistou calls the technique used in this recipe “pure genius.”